A NEW primary school costing nearly £9m could be set to open in Manydown in September 2025, council documents have revealed.

A 164-page public documents pack produced by Hampshire County Council ahead of next week’s meeting of the Children & Young People Select Committee outlines numerous proposed investments into new schools and refurbishments over the next three years.

Among them is a two-form-entry - meaning two class intakes per year group - Manydown Primary School, with a proposed opening of September 2025.

The expected cost of the project is £8,980,000.

In addition, a seven-form-entry secondary school in Manydown has been listed among potential projects for 2030 onwards.

READ MORE: Artist's impressions of Manydown housing development released

One Basingstoke councillor has said he is “very pleased” to see the schools included on the agenda of next Friday’s (January 14) meeting .

Reacting to the information provided so far, Cllr Sean Dillow (Conservative, Winklebury & Manydown) told the Gazette: “I am very pleased that this is in the pipeline. In the development plans, there is space for two primary schools and a secondary school, and it’s pleasing to see some hard and fast dates.

“It is important that infrastructure is there, and that provision for education is high up on the agenda. It’s good that Hampshire County Council is actually putting that provision in place.”

“It’s something really positive, to see something tangible, because at the moment they are just spaces on plans.”

He continued: “The only caveat is that this is dependent on housing provision, but I am hopeful that the developer moves at a good pace to allow for the provision of these new schools.

“We have all been going on about [Manydown] being infrastructure-led, but this actually shows that this is happening.”

Preparatory work for the new 3,500 home Manydown housing development began in 2021, with new homes due to be ready by 2023.

SEE ALSO: Work due to begin on Manydown development in next few weeks

The site was bought by Basingstoke an Deane Borough Council and Hampshire County Council for development 25 years prior, in 1996 and they have faced much criticism over the delay to works.

The proposals will be “scrutinised” by the select committee as part of its wider capital programme, before a decision is taken by the executive lead member for Children’s Services, Cllr Roz Chad.

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